Fluid deflector system for endless chain propellers in amphibian craft



Aug. 14, 1956 Filed Nov. 10, 1949 E. J. EYRING FLUID DEFLECTOR SYSTEM FOR ENDLESS CHAIN PROPELLERS IN AMPHIBIAN CRAFT 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVMTOR. EWARD J. EYRI NG By M A ATTORNEY EYRING 2,758,560 FLUID DEFLECTOR SYSTEM FOR ENDLESS CHAIN PROPELLERS IN AMPHIBIAN CRAFT FiledNov. 10, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/Ema 5.: DneEc 7' 0 INVENTOR. J. EYRI N G DWARD 1 Woman 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR E. J. EYRING SYSTEM FOR ENDLESS CHAIN PROPELLERS IN AMPHIBIAN CRAFT FLUID DEFLECTOR ON km #0 Om. Om wm hm n NU-MUM ll \u n as: m n h m M mm U H n I i. u 0* m m n u M v n H u 7 u M u M u I Aug. 14, 1956 Filed Nov. 10, 1949 ATTORNEY United States Patent:

FLUID DEFLE'CTOR SYSTEM FOR ENDLESS CHAIN PROPELLERS IN AMPHIBIAN CRAFT The present invention relates to endless chain propellers and more particularly to fluid deflector control for amphibian craft. I

Prior fluid impellers for track laying amphibian ve hicles have two major disadvantages. First, they attempt to adapt fixed impellers to both fluid and land travel. This results in breakage and fouling when light Weight thin section impellers are used, and in loss ofeffective propulsion when impellers were made" heavy enough to avoid breakage. Secondly, it has been proposed to attach fixed paddle members to the outside rim of an amphibian traction belt. This arrangement creates so much drag during the return travel of the belt that effective propulr sion is critically diminished.

The invention of co-pending concurrently filed application of Willard C. Baker for Amphibian Propulsion Mechanism, Serial Number 126,655, now U. S. Patent No. 2,680,421, avoids these and other disadvantages by providing a series of fluid impeller blades arranged in cooperating relationship with a uniform seriesvof fluid deflector vanes. The present invention provides a-novel construction and arrangement of supplemental fluid deflector guides in an amphibian craft.

One object of the present invention is to provide fluid guides that are selectively controllable during travel of an amphibian craft.

Another object is to provide such guides in cooperation with the novel fluid deflector vanes and fluid impeller blades of an endless traction belt of such a craft.

A further object is to provide fluid guide means capable of excluding floating obstructions from such a belt during travel of an amphibian craft. a

Other equally important objects and many of the advantages of the present invention become readily. apparent.

from the following detailed description which illustrates preferred embodiments thereof when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings that diagrammatically represent in:

Fig. 1 a perspective view of an amphibian craft embodying the deflector guides.

Fig. 2 a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 a partially cut away, horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 a schematic view of the fluid flow from the deflector guides taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of my novel deflector guide system in an amphibian craft; Figure 2 illustrates the guides 50 in coopearting arrangement with deflector vanes 40 and impeller blades 30; and Figure 3 shows the motor-driven operating mechanism for guides 50.

In Figure 1 the hull 60 is driven by a pair of endless traction belts 20 which ride on bogie wheels 21 mounted on axles 22 and arranged and operated in a manner well known in the art. However the impeller blades 30, deflector vanes 40 and treads 23 are preferably con- 2,758,560 Patented Aug. 14, 1956 concurrently filed copending application of Willard C.

Baker for Amphibian Propulsion Mechanism, Serial Number 126,655, now U.'-S. Patent 2,680,421; and of Willard C. Baker and William Nicholas for Amphibian Control Mechanism, Serial Number 126,656, now U. S. Patent 2,705,470.

The side skirt portion 61 of hull 60 is preferably arranged to extend downwardly to expose the lower or propelling path or course of track 20 and to enclose the upper or return path or course of track 20 as shown in Fig. 2. i v Y Skirt portion 61 is provided with fluid intakeopenings 51 which are arranged to be covered and exposed by dc flector guides50 as shown in Figure}.

In Figure 2 the vanes 40 are mounted on the inner side of hull 60 by stud shaft 41 held in resilient bearing 42, by sleeve 43, plate 44'and attaching means 45, and are held on skirt portion 61 by stud support 46. Bogie wheels 21 are mounted on axles 22 carried by vanes 40, and wheels 21 ride on tracklinks 25 and connector links 26 of belt 20. Impellerblades 30 are joined to treads 23 by foot portions 24. f

Belt20 travels in its upper or return course on rollers 27 mounted on shafts 31 and held on hull 60 by brackets 28 and bearings 29 shown in Figure 2, and all are preferably as described in the aforementioned copending applications.

Mounted on partition 62 of bull 60 is gearbracket 59 which holds gear shaft 58 on which is mounted worm gear 55 arranged to mesh with and be driven by worm 56. I

Guides 50 are provided with operating arms 52; the lower arm 52 is rotatably mounted on bracket 71 by collar portion 53, and stud 72 and the upper arm 52 is attached by stud 54 to worm gear 55vfor rotation therewith-when actuated by worm 56.

Worm 56 is fixed to operating shaft 57 as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and shaft 57 is preferably mounted on hull 60 by bracket bearings 64, 65, and 66 as shown in Figure 3. Worm drive gear 63 is fixed to oneend of shaft57 and is arranged to mesh with driving worm 67 on motor shaft 69, and to be driven preferably by a reversing electric motor as shown at in Figure 3.

Motor 70 is preferably operated by suitable controls and source of current as customary in electric motor drive installations. These controls readily enable motor 70 to be started, reversed and stopped, as desired, to causeguides 50 to be opened, closed, or held in any intermediate position. t

v A motor such as shown at ,70 .is preferably provided for the'operation of the guides 50 on each side of hull 60. In this manner the opening'a'nd closing of guides 50 may be independently controlled on either side. This affords additional steering control to the craft and is also useful in landing operations. If desired a single motor may readily be arranged and controlled in a manner well known in the art and connected to drive shafts 57 on both sides of hull 60 concurrently, or separately by means of suitable clutch arrangements well known to those skilled in the art of motor drive controls.

In operation when power is applied to motor '70, drive shaft 69 rotates worm 67 which drives worm drive gear 68 atfixed to operator shaft 57. Shaft 57 turns in bearings 64, 65, and 66, and rotates operator worm 56 which drives operator worm gear 55. Operator gear 55 turns stud 54 which rotates upper arm 52 fixed to deflector guide 50. As the lower'arm 52 of guide 50 is mounted for limited reciprocating rotation about stud 72, the operation of gear 55 will thereby cause the rotation of deflector guides 50, so that they may readily be opened, closed or adjusted to any intermediate position.

Deflector guides 50 are constructed and arranged to extend in their outermost adjusted position beyond areas of laminar flow existing adjacent skirt portions 61 during forward fluid travel of the craft. The total maximum eifective area of guides 50 preferably depends upon the size, speed and function of the craft, or the type of operations for which it is designed. This total maximum area is likewisepreferably sufficient to compensate for those .areas of wheels'22 which act to obstruct portions of the lateral ,flow of fluid to. belt 20 1 between wheels 22 during forward fluidtravel of' the craft. 1 It is also sufiicient to function in cooperation with vanes40 and blades 30 to aid in the conversion of .the horizontal component of velocity of the entering fluid to increase the final propulsive etfect of "blades 30. I

The travel of the endless track 20 over its lower course creates a suction which aidsthe deflector guides 50 (to induce the water TO fiO'W in at the intake openings 51 in a direction approximately normal to the direction of travel of the hull 60 and to be diverted downwardly toward vanes 40, as shown in Fig. 4. Then the vanes moving with the forward velocity of the hull furtherdiver't the flow of water toward the impeller blades 30 .so as to leave the impeller blades in a rearward direction after imparting to the impeller 'blades a forward thrust component in a manner previously described in the co-pending applications previously referred 'to herein.

It is the further intent of the present invention to pro vide a series .of' deflector guides similar to those illus' trated at 50 in the drawings that are constructed and arranged to progressively extend outwardly in a fore to,

aft sequence, in a manner similar to that of the deflector lips described in my concurrently flled copending application for Deflector. i

Related hereto are the following concurrently filed copending applicationsof:'Willard C. Bakerand William Nicholas 7 for Amphibian Control Mechanism, Serial Number 126,656, now U. S. Patent No. 2,705,470; .Emil S. Cigledy, for 'Deflector System, "Serial Number 126,660; Edward J. 'Ey'ring, for Deflector? Serial Number 126,654, now U. S. Patent 'No. 2,730,064.; and Willard C. Baker for AmphibianPropulsion Mechanism, Serial Number 126,655, now UJS. .Patent No. 2,680,421. r r i The invention described herein may be. manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for Governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

While only preferred embodiments of have been disclosed, it is obvious that various modifications thereof are contemplated and may "be resortedto by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In combination in an amphibian craft: .a hull; an endless drive .belt having thereon .treads for traction on this invention land and blades for impulsion in a fluid; said belt being mounted to be driven along a lower fluid-impeding path and thereafter over an upper return path in said hull; a plurality of downwardly depending deflectors to direct fluid against the blades when the craft is in motion; a downwardly projecting side skirt portion shielding said return path; apertures in said skirt adapted for the intake of said fluid to be directed against the deflectors; and adjustablelclosure means positioned in said apertures for controlling thelflow of fluid therethrough.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including power driven means [connected to :said closure means for the closing, the opening and the adjustment to intermediate positions of said closure means.

3.. The apparatusof .claim 1 wherein said closure means is pivotally mounted to open outwardly of saidskirt and is pointed forward toward the flow of said fluid during forward travel of said craft in said fluid.

4. In combination in an amphibiancraft: a hull; an endless drive belt on each side of said hull; each of said belts having thereon a pair of spaced apart rows of treads for traction on land; and a row .o blades therebetween for impulsion in a fluid; fluid deflector vanes mounted in said hull and depending downwardly toward and adjacent said blades; said belts being mounted to be driven along a lower fluid impel'ling path and thereafter along an upper return path in said hull;a downwardly projecting skirt portion shielding said return path on each side of said hull; apertures in said skirton each side of said hull for the intake of said fluid. to be directed against said vanes and said "blades when said blades are in said fluid impelling course; and adjustable closure means positioned in said apertures for controlling .the flow of fluid therethrough. i j p 5. The apparatus of claim 4 including power driven means connected to said closuremeans for the opening, the closing and the intermediate adjustment of said closure means. p p p 6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said closure means is pivotally mounted to. open outwardly of said skirt and is pointed forward toward the flow of said fluid during forward "travel s of said craft in said fluid.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said closure means is arcuately shaped so that when open and pointing forward it acts as a scoop to direct fluid against the deflector vanes and blades.

8. The'apparatus of claimet wherein there is a plurality of said apertures and closure means spaced longitudinally along each skirt portion;

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the plurality .of closure means along each skirt portion is joined together. so as to operate simultaneously.

No references cited. 

